


Distance Gets Us Closer

by Duffy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-12-25 23:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18271274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duffy/pseuds/Duffy
Summary: Bucky is an astronaut and on his third mission in space. On the day where him and the crew of the Avengers 4 are supposed to come back to earth, there happens to be an accident and no one's sure if they'll make it back to earth alive if they don't act fast enough and risk their lives all over again in a broken spaceship.Steve get's a call in the middle of the night, which tells him he should probaly come to Mission Control because it might be his last chance to be remotedly close to his best friends one more time.Will Bucky be alive and are they going to be reunited in the end? Does it really need thousand of miles in the universe to make them realise who they really need in a situation like this?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've recently got obsessed with space and watched way too many films about it. Lots of them happened to be trash unfortunately. (Like, you know, Armageddon and such.)
> 
> I've got no idea if things actually work like I imagine it. Communications in space and stuff like this. But I hope you like it anyway
> 
> Please keep in mind, that this fic is NOT beta-read beside by myself and that English is NOT my native language. Sorry in advance for all mistakes (I probably fucked up the tenses a lot). You're welcome to point them out to me and I'll correct them.

When the phone rang, Steve thought he was dreaming and didn’t make any actions to wake up. But the ringing didn’t stop so he opened one eye that wasn’t covered by his pillow and tried to focus on the blurry lights on the digital clock next to his bed. 0226 in the morning. 

He suddenly jerked awake and sat up straight. Getting a call at this time could only mean bad things. He reached for his phone which said Anonymous Call, but he didn’t pay any attention anyway. 

“Yes?”, he sounded nearly out of breath.  
“Mister Rogers? Steve Rogers?”, the female voice on the other end of the phone asked and he repeated his previous answer. “Yes, yes. That’s me.”

“This is Natasha Romanov speaking. Assistant to NASA flight director Nicolas Fury and Mission Control”, she explained and paused for a moment to give room for Steve to say something. 

Steve’s heart couldn’t decide if it should beat faster or completely stop. So he wasn’t wrong with bad news at times likes this. 

“Yes, what....what happened?” It was the call he’d feared the past 28 days and nights. 

“Mr. Rogers, I’m calling you because Mr. Barnes marked you as your emergency contact and next of a kin and I think this is one of these situation.”

Cold sweat covered Steve’s forehead. “Is Bucky alive?”

“Yes, but you should come to Mission Control, there’s been an incident and you might want to be here with the others.”

“An incident? What happened?” Steve panicked, jumped out of bed and hastily searched for some clothes to put on, phone held tightly between ear and shoulder. 

“I can’t give you any further information on the phone but you’ll be informed as soon as you’re here,” she explained. “Do you need directions?”

“No, I’ll be there in sixty minutes.” He ended the call, threw on his leather jacket and slammed the door shut behind him. His motorbike was way too loud for a nighttime like this but he didn’t care. He was just thankful he was so close by. 

His thoughts were with Bucky, his best friend the astronaut who was on his third mission to space and was actually supposed to be back on this day in a few hours. Nearly 30 days, exploring the moon orbit and surface and doing science stuff Steve didn’t completely understand. What happened and was so important that they called him? Did the shuttle explode, was he hurt, did they forget him on the moon? 

He speed a little faster and made it in 50 minutes. 

 

A red haired small woman stood at the barriers that marked the entrance. There was a lamp right above her which made her hair shine even brighter. “You must be Mr. Rogers”, she greeted him as he stopped next to her and the barrier got lifted up for him to pass. 

“Please, Steve. I’m Bucky’s best friend.”  
“Natasha, we’ve been on the phone. Leave your bike here and follow me.”

“Can you please tell me what’s going on?”, Steve plead but didn’t get a proper answer. “Mr. Coulson will inform you any minute.”

They took some stairs and she lead him to some kind of conference room. “Have a seat”, she offered but Steve was too nervous to sit down. “No, thanks.” He wasn’t the only one waiting. A fragile looking woman with light red hair stood with crossed arms in front of a screen that seemed to show a live feed from the Mission Control Center. He remembered seeing her at the take-off 28 days ago but forgot her name. The commander’s wife or something. She didn’t notice him. 

“Hi, Steve.” He turned around and saw Riley standing in the door, mug of coffee in hand. “Hey”, Steve answered. “Do you know what’s going on?” Riley shrugged. “No one’s telling me a damn thing. Pepper doesn’t know either.”

Steve had met Riley before once. He was the substitute if Sam Wilson wouldn’t have made it into space. They’ve flown a couple of missions together and rumor has it they were more than just good colleagues and friends. 

“Yeah, same”, he turned around to watch the screen as well, not sure what he was watching. 

 

Natasha showed up again, a man walking by her side and entering the room. Now even Pepper turned around but didn’t say a word. 

“I’m sorry for the circumstances. I’m Mr. Coulson, right hand to Director Fury in Control. You are all here because all the astronauts, Stark, Wilson and Barnes, marked you as their next of a kin. There’s been an accident in space and now we’re struggling to get them down without any harm”, Coulson said without any fuss or pretty-talking. Pepper gasped and Steve could feel his stomach tightening. 

“They were already on their right course back to earth, when they had to face a couple of unforeseen meteorite impacts at the rear end of the capsule that’s supposed to bring them back”, he explained and now Steve had to sit down. “What does it mean?”, he wanted to know and Coulson looked down on the empty table. 

“Well, as far as we know, they’ve lost a tank of fuel and can’t navigate properly. There might also be an oxygen problem but we’re not sure about that yet.” Coulson fell silent and for a moment there was only heavy breathing filling the room. Steve’s heart was racing. 

“We’re keeping it out of the news for now, but we’ve figured you should be informed”, Coulson continued. “Of course you’re free to leave but we’ll keep you updated via screen here”, he gestured to the screen Pepper’s been watching before, “or send someone up to you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Coulson. We really appreciate your honesty and help”, Pepper replied kindly. Coulson nodded, Steve could see a thin layer of sweat shimmering on his forehead. 

“What’s your plan?” Riley asked and everyone turned to face him. He’d gripped a backrest, his knuckles turning nearly white. He was as tense as everyone of them. 

“Well”, Coulson took a deep breath. “We’re trying to find a solution down here on how to fix the damage in the jacket so they won’t burn up when entering the earth atmosphere.” Another pause. Steve felt like his heart was racing too fast to catch up with his lungs which were getting too tight. 

“What about the fuel problem?”, he quietly said. Coulson was definitely struggling with the answer and felt clearly uncomfortable. “They don’t have enough to come back to earth.” This answer was like a punch in his face, Pepper failed to suppress a sob and Riley turned around, angrily punching the air. Steve buried his face in his palms. “They need to save as much fuel as possible. We don’t know how, yet, but we’ve got scientists working their asses off.” 

“This can’t be true,” Steve muttered and stared at the ground for a moment. “What’s the chance to make it back alive and in one piece?” Steve eventually asked and everyone in the room was suddenly holding their breath. 

“I honestly don’t know. Maybe 70%. Maybe more, maybe less. We’ve got the best astrophysicist and rocket scientists here to help us do the math. We`ll have answers soon”, Coulson answered, feeling unmissable uncomfortable. 

Coulsen and Romanov left them in silence and no one of them three dared to say a word as they watched the screen that showed the people in control that were nervously running around between their stations. The huge screens in the background showed the route of the spaceship and Steve could make out a tiny cross that marked their current position almost half way through. There were scales on the side, numbers alongside them. He didn’t know what for but he guessed for oxygen and fuel. One of the scales was dropping alarmingly low, blinking red in the lowest quarter. The fuel. 

They’ve talked about the spaceship before, Bucky’s been so excited he basically dumped every single information he had on Steve, and Steve listened even though Bucky had told him everything before a couple of times. But Steve had let him because seeing the spark of joy for being admitted to a longer mission in space in his friend’s eyes was the greatest thing for Steve.  
So Steve knew they’d need the fuel to bring the ship close enough to earth’s atmosphere before they could detach the landing capsule to bring them safely back to earth. But now both was damaged and if they didn’t find a way to save energy and get them close enough they didn’t even have to try to fix the fire shield.

Steve could feel a light panic rise in his chest and his breath quicken. His own soldier training wasn’t helping him in this situation. He was completely helpless. All he could do was watch the screen. 

Watching and thinking of Bucky being out there and in danger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't wait any longer to upload this. Thanks or reading and everything. 
> 
> Not betaed.

He could feel sweat dripping down his neck and spine, soaking his dark blue overall and shirt beneath. He could feel his eyes burn.

The impact’s been unforeseen. It always is. About an hour ago, they’ve been hit and it had ripped off one of their fuel tanks which was essential for their way back to earth. The moment the tiny meteorites crashed into them, it had shaken the whole spaceship. The warning from Ground Control only minutes previous wasn’t enough to get them out of the way. Nearly every alarm that could flash or make a sound on board became to life and they had to act as fast as possible. Bucky had no time to think about anything, he moved on auto pilot with Wilson and Stark, turning them off, locking the hatches to prevent them from air loss or anything else. 

The ship was lurching, drifting away from it’s original way and Sam had trouble to steady and maneuver it back on course. It took him a while whereas Bucky got on his headphones and connected to Ground Control.

„Houston, this is Barnes speaking. We’ve been hit, I repeat, we’ve been hit!“ His voice was surprisingly steady even tough his heart was racing. He knew they were reading all their vitals down there. Down there on earth.

It was Fury who answered. „Yes, we’ve got the signals. Update Barnes, is everyone okay? Any injuries? Please confirm.“

Bucky made brief eye contact with the crew. A quick nod from them was answer enough. „Positive“, he answered. „Everyones fine but there’s been damages on the ship.“

„Check up to them and report back to me asap“, came Fury’s distorted voice over the speaker in his ear. Bucky confirmed and took off his headphones and microphone. 

„Let’s go“, he said and the three of them started to go back to work and everything except the red alarm fell silent around them.

It took the a couple of minutes to track down the whole damage. The missing fuel tank, a breach in the fire proof surface, things that got hit so hard they’ve broken off but weren’t necessary for navigation and surviving. They’ve checked back in with Ground Control, gave Director Fury all the data he had asked for and they knew he would need, so his team on earth could develop a plan to save them. 

They all have been nervous the whole time. Twenty-eight days in space, traveling between moon and earth. Space can always be dangerous. But everything always went fine. Nothing to worry about and now this. On their way back home. 

The red light flashing right in front of his eyes didn’t make the situation any better. 

ALARM

The red button didn’t want to stop and the beeping coming with it made everything worse. Even though they actually already were in the probably worst situation of their lives ever. 

ALARM

„For fuck’s sake, can’t you turn it off?“ It was Sam’s voice coming from the back of the module. The black letters on the button had already burned their shape into Bucky’s retinas. He had hoped this button would never play a role on his journeys into space. But now it did. 

He snapped back into reality, too zoomed out and focused on the red light, and pushed the annoying button all the way in and it finally got silent again in the cockpit of the spaceship. 

„It won’t last long, it’ll be on again in a minute or so“, Tony announced and took a close look on the many screens of the board computer. Sam cursed again and Bucky really felt that emotion.

Fury’s instructions didn’t take long. „Stark, you need to open up a panel from the south-side of the rear module. You need to clip off the tube connected to missing Tank Two. It needs to be closed to stop the alarm. Use cable binder or anything strong enough to hold it together.“

Tony didn’t wait for Fury to finish giving instructions and was already gliding though the small compartment that has been their temporary home for lots of days. 

„Wilson, we’ll go through the whole data together and figure out how to get you three back with the remaining fuel once Stark has fixed the leak. Barnes, it’s your job to fix the shield on the outside, go and get your suit. Wilson will secure you.“

And that is how Bucky found himself in the air lock of their not-so-save-anymore spaceship. He watched the touchscreen in front of him that showed him a countdown from ten to zero in red numbers. Sam had securely locked the door behind him and attached him to the long leash. He could hear the hissing noise of the air getting sucked out into its tank to leave him in a vacuum. 

The countdown reached zero and the door to the never-ending universe opened and he was outside.

Slowly, he made his way up to his destination and took in the damage. It wasn’t much actually but even the smallest damage could cause a catastrophe.

To his left, he could see the earth and for a second he held his breath. Of course he had seen it before but this time it was different. He didn’t know if he might get back. If he might get back home, if he might get back to…

…to Steve. 

Suddenly it hit him harder than the meteorites had hit them before. He’d been only concentrated on their mission for the last hours and didn’t let himself think about anything else. But suddenly his head was full of it and no other thought than Steve. Steve, his friend Steve. Did he know what happened? Did Ground Control phone him? He put him as his emergency contact. Was this such an emergency? 

He watched the earth and thought about what Steve would be doing right now. Would he be worried? Would he stare into the sky like they did so many times together when there was a clear night and stars were visible? Or would he be peacefully asleep and getting a call in the morning that the only person close to him had died during night in space, one night before he was supposed to be back home?

Steve and Bucky only had each other left after they’ve both been soldiers in their early years and went to war together.

Thinking about the last time he had seen Steve made him hurt inside his chest even more. 

It’s been a week before the departure. They were only allowed to interact with a limited amount of people, which had been checked for illnesses and such before. For Bucky it’s been only Steve and of course he came to see him one more time before his journey. 

„Be careful, Buck“, Steve had said, his voice everything but cheerful and Bucky had been sure his heart would break if he had to see Steve so sad any longer. So he’d hugged him and hadn’t let go of Steve for at least a minute. It hadn’t been awkward, it had been comfortable, soothing and warm.

„Don’t do anything stupid until I get back“, he had joked to break the ice and make himself less tense and he’d known it would help Steve, too.

„How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you“, Steve had replied and there might have been a small smile on both their lips when they’d let go of each other.

„Barnes? Barnes!“

There was suddenly a new voice coming through his earpiece in his helmet, but it wasn’t unknown. He let go of his thoughts and was aware of his surroundings again. „Yes, Barnes speaking, I’m listening.“

„This is Coulson, we’ve checked back with the medic team. You weren’t responding and your heart rate suddenly got really high. Are you okay?“

Bucky secured himself on a rail with a carabiner. His breath was getting slower before he answered. „I’m fine, I was just thinking about how to fix this shield. I’ve reached the front and secured myself. I’m gonna start working now.“

„Keep in touch, no deep thoughts and not answering. Did you get this, Barnes? Concentrate!“ 

„Yes, Sir.“

„You’ve got 30 minutes, then you need to be back in. Fury is working on the solution with your crew. Confirm! Over!“

„Confirmed, 30 minutes. Over!“

With Steve still on his mind, he started working.

He had to get back. For Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, let me know what you think about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are. The last chapter, longer than expected but I didn't want to split it up. Thanks for the support that got to me in different ways. 
> 
> Enjoy reading.

The door fell shut behind his back and Steve left Pepper and Riley alone in the conference room, staring at the screen. 

He couldn’t do this any longer. Just seeing a picture of people running around, staring at their own screens, data being sorted and pushed around. He’d seen Director Fury standing in the back, right hand on his headphones covered right ear, speaking but not being able to hear what it was about. Was he talking to someone on the other side of the room? Was he talking to one of the astronauts, to Bucky? He decided he had to get down there and be closer, no matter what. 

So he hurried down the halls, followed signs and floor numbers until he passed a door that was marked with bold letters spelling exit, and he stopped. He would only need to turn one corner and be at the huge hall hosting Mission Control and everything that belonged to it.  
But he pushed open the door and the cold air of the night hit him in the face. He hadn’t realized his skin’s gotten so hot in there. 

It was still dark outside, there were still a couple of hours left before the sun would rise again. The exit had let him to the parking lot, there wasn’t much light either. 

He tilted his head back and looked up to the dark sky. No clouds, only stars and darkness. Sadness overwhelmed him when his thoughts travelled back to Bucky. 

Last time he’d watched the stars was with his friend. They drove about an hour to get to a lonely hill outside of their town at night. Bucky had brought a card of the sky, had checked the weather forecast every few hours, and even had binoculars in his bag. He’d desperately wanted to show Steve some stars and his route around the earth and the moon with the “Avengers 4” spacecraft. They had sat in the slightly wet grass closely next to each other because none of them had remembered to bring a blanket to sit on or to warm them. 

Bucky has always been passionate about science and the future. And now he was a pioneer of the future itself, flying into space, being an astronaut. Steve had been so happy for him at this moment, Steve was happy his best friend’s biggest dream had come true. Bucky’s gaze has been fixed on the sky but Steve could only look at him. 

The next mission wouldn’t be his first mission but definitely his longest. The other ones had only been a couple of days long, but nonetheless, Steve had always been worried. And he had always missed him. 

And now he stood here all by himself and Bucky, who should be standing next to him and watch the stars, was literally up there in the stars. Was he there, though? If everything would go according to plan, they’d land in a couple of hours in the Atlantic Ocean. But were they already on this side of the earth? Could he see them as a tiny light moving in the darkness? 

Steve ran both his palms down his face. He wished everything would already be over with a happy ending. He missed Bucky so much it actually hurt and he just wanted him back, secure and happy. He wanted to embrace him just like the day they last saw each other mir than a month ago. He wanted him back so desperately and...

....oh. God, he was such a fool. Why did he need a catastrophe and a thousand miles of distance to make him realize how badly he wants Bucky back with him, what Bucky actually meant to him. His Bucky.

He pulled open the door again and made his way straight to his previous destination. Stepping in, he immediately got stopped by a man who apparently belonged to the security staff. “Who are you? This is for authorized personnel only, Sir. You have to go”, the man said and wanted to lead him back when a voice interrupted them before even Steve could say a single word. It was Coulson who approached them. 

“He’s okay, Happy, he belongs to Astronaut Barnes”, he informed the security guy and gestured Steve to come over. 

“Thank you, Sir”, Steve said politely and made his way over. The room didn’t look as huge in reality as it always did on pictures or on the tv before. 

“What are you doing here, Rogers?” Coulson asked, hands on his hips and his earpiece and microphone sling around his neck. Steve sighed. “I couldn’t stand it in there any longer.” He gestured in the direction where the room might be. “Being so far away and not being able to do something....anything. It drives me crazy.”

Coulson nodded. “I was just about to send Miss Romanov up to you with new information”, he said instead of saying anything regarding Steve’s presence. Steve’s eyebrows rose and he made a step closer. “Tell me!”

“Well, Stark and Wilson have fixed the fuel leak and Flight Control is talking and transferring data with them right now on when to fire the rockets and when to pause them to get enough speed and miles with the remaining fuel”, he explained calmly. “And your friend”, but he couldn’t finish what he wanted to say because Steve got in his way. “What about Bucky? Did anything happen to him? Tell me?”

“No, no need to worry. He’s fine.”

Steve calmed down and released his clenched fists. 

“Barnes is currently working outside, fixing the fireproof shield which they’ll need to survive the entrance into the atmosphere.”

Steve knew what it was for. Of course. “He’s outside?” The worried expression was instantly back in his eyes. Coulson nodded and checked his watch and the huge timer that was showing in one of the huge screens in the hall. The timer had Barnes in square letters written over it. “His time’s up in 9 minutes 50 seconds. Then he must be back in and everything must be repaired.”

Outside. Steve has watched enough movies about space that had shown him what could happen and what kind of danger was waiting there. Bad images flickered before his imaginary eye. 

He noticed Director Fury standing a couple feet away from him, talking to some tech guys and speaking into his headset again. There was a smaller screen on the right side next to the largest one, which showed a blurry and pixilated picture of the space crafts cockpit. It was Stark’s face, a darker figure moving in the background. Apparently, Fury was talking to him.  
Steve searches for Bucky even though he knew he wasn’t there. 

Coulson followed his view. “The video connection is bad at the moment but it works for now. We’re nearly done with coding. Now we just need Barnes to finish his work”, he explained. 

Steve nodded, then suddenly blurted “Can I talk to him?” 

Coulson looked surprised. “To Mr. Stark?”

Steve shook his head no. “I mean....you know.” His voice faded. Coulson wanted to answer but got interrupted. He held his right hand to his ear and seemed to concentrate on someone speaking in his headphones. He nodded. 

“Yes, roger. Confirmed. Well done, Barnes.” He signalled a thumbs-up motion to Fury and turned back to Steve who waited in anticipation. 

“Barnes, listen. I’ll give you a one minute break and then you have to get in.” He put a hand on Steve’s back and guided him to a less crowded area in the hall. “Here’s someone who wants to talk to you. One minute, understood?” He hummed and then took off his headphones and microphone, holding them out to Steve who had his eyebrows raised. 

“Here”, Coulson offered and Steve took them. “One minute and don’t make it too obvious. I’m actually not allowed to let you interfere”, he explained and Steve thanked him quietly, putting in the headset. He was nervous, his heart was beating faster than usual. 

“Hey Bucky”, he said quietly and waited patiently for any answer to come. It remained silent for a second. But then he got an answer. “Steve, is that you?” He sounded exhausted. 

“Yes, Buck, yes, it’s me. I’m here.” He couldn’t get the words out quickly enough. “Thank god. I was so worried about you. I didn’t know if you’d know what happened, if they’d call you, if...” 

“Yes, they called me. I’m here with the others.” For a second, he contemplated asking how Bucky was feeling but that question just sounded dumb to him. Of course, Bucky wasn’t fine in such a situation. He asked anyway. 

“Better, now I know you’re here.” Bucky sounded somehow relieved at the voice of Steve, but Steve didn’t know how much it actually meant to him. Still, he slightly blushed. “That’s good, Bucky, that’s good.” Steve nodded even though no one could see it. 

Bucky’s voice was strange, it didn’t really sound like him but somehow he still imagined to hear his friends voice. “Come back in one piece and alive, will you?”

Coulson was motioning to his watch at his wrist from a distance, meaning their time was almost up. He'd need to hurry. 

“Yeah, I’m trying.”  
“You know, Buck, I’ll be waiting for you until you’ve got solid ground beneath your feet again, right? I’m with you, till the end of the line.” He remembered Bucky saying this specific sentence to him a long time ago and how much it had meant to him and still did. He was sure he could hear Bucky smile at the other end, getting the reference. 

“I miss you.”  
“Miss you too.”  
“See you in a couple of hours.”  
“Roger, Rogers”, Bucky laughed and Steve took off the headset and handed it back to Coulson. 

“Thank you.”

Suddenly everyone seemed to pick up their pace and the mumbling got louder. Fury raised his voice. “Okay everyone, the shield is fixed and ready for atmosphere contact. The data is transferred and Wilson and Stark are informed about how to ration the fuel and get them close enough.”

He turned around at the huge screens covering the front wall. “Everyone on their place, let’s get these motherfuckers back down here.”

Steve’s heart was racing at the news, if everything went according to plan as Coulson said, the crew would be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in less than four hours. 

„Mr. Rogers, Steve, you want to come with me.“ It was Natasha who had her hand on his left arm when he turned around. He quirked an eyebrow. „Where?“ he asked. „To the landing, we’ll bring the others as well.“ She hurried to the exit, her red curls bouncing on her shoulders. Steve followed her up the stairs to the room where Riley and Pepper were still waiting. „We’re going to the landing area?“ Natasha didn’t answer. „How? I mean, it’s too far away to reach it within time.“ „Just wait and see“, was all he got from her. 

 

He didn’t even have to wait for half an hour until he saw. The four of them got on board of something that looked like a huge ship but instead of swimming, it flew. „This is a helicarrier“, Natasha explained to them. „Mr. Stark was involved in the process of development.“

„Mr. Stark as in Tony Stark?“ Riley asked and both him and Steve stared at Pepper who just shrugged. „Yes.“

Natasha just smirked but didn’t really pay any attention to it. „The new landing manoeuvre gets them down quicker than originally planned, so instead of the expected ten hours, we’ve only got two. So we’ll take the helicarriers, it’s really fast and will get us there in time and exactly to the place where they are supposed to come down.“ With that said, they left them standing in the bridge and was gone within seconds.

Steve stood close to a huge window for the whole flight and watched the dark sky slowly getting brighter and the sunrise far away in the distance. They were racing above the surface of the earth and suddenly he could see water in the distance and suddenly beneath him. He could feel the carrier getting slower until it seemed to hover over the ocean before the whole thing lowered itself into the ocean and it was floating like the ship Steve thought it was before the take-off earlier.

„We can go out now!“ It was Natasha’s who suddenly was back with them and lead them outside. It was still a bit chilly, a light breeze let the hair on his arms and his neck stand. She pointed to the sky. 

„They should be visible somewhere in this area in about 15 minutes. Just watch the sky and wait. I need to get back in and stay in touch with Mission Control. Don’t leave this place, it’s too dangerous. We’ll get you when it’s okay.“ Steve nodded a silent thank you into her direction and she gave him a slight warm smile in return. Riley, Pepper and he leaned on a railing and silently watched the dawning sky, waiting.

Minutes passed and nothing happened. Just peaceful silence and the splashing of the low waves against the helicarrier.

Then suddenly, there was a tiny light high up in the sky. It moved fast, a trail of fire behind it. All they could do was stare into the sky, eyes locked on the burning object. 

Pepper stood close to him. She’d stepped away from the railing, an irrational attempt to be closer to the object. Steve had done the same. No one of them said a word, Pepper just reached for his right arm and held tightly to him with her small hands. 

It took them a moment to realize what they were witnessing. It was the capsule they had detached from their spaceship and which was now rushing through the dense atmosphere.  
All Steve could think of was Bucky sitting in the tiny capsule, hoping that the fixed shield would do its job and not let them burn alive. It must be very hot inside, very shaky. 

Lost in thoughts he put his hand over Pepper’s. It provided comfort for both of them. 

They watched in silence until the trail was gone. They could see the capsule properly now and it didn’t take long for the parachute to open. Orange and white and huge to slow down the fall. They got closer and closer and to Steve, it felt like an eternity. These few minutes felt longer to him that the actual whole journey. 

Pepper’s grip tightened around his bicep but he didn’t mind. He could see the capsule being only miles above the ocean and the insecurity of Bucky being alive or dead drove him crazy and he felt his heart beating faster and tears forming in his eyes but not falling. 

Around them, people were running into the deck. He saw people in diving suits, medics with their equipment, engineers to open the capsule if needed....everyone was there. 

And then the capsule hit the water surface with a loud and gigantic splash and for a second the whole world seemed to stand still. The whole world and Steve’s heart. 

And then everyone started rushing. 

People were shouting commands, engines got started, two motorized dinghies made their way to the floating metal ball. With a loud bang, the exterior latch got blown away right before the first team reached them. 

Pepper was shaking next to him, Riley looked nervous next to him as well. “Are they alive?” he asked the question which was in all their minds. 

When the dinghies reached the capsule, someone climbed inside and only seconds later a hand making the thumbs-up motion was lifted out of the open hatch. 

They were okay. They were alive. 

The relief falling off of Steve’s heart was unbelievable. If someone had asked, he hadn’t known how to describe it. 

In the distance, he could see three figures getting extracted out of the floating thing, guided by lots of helping hands. They were wearing their space suits, even their helmets, and seemed to hardly be able to move. They all just fell into the boats and everyone else was hovering over them, providing them with blankets and checking for first obvious injuries. 

Steve couldn’t make out who of them was Bucky, even when their helmets were taken off. There were too many people and they were still too far away. Steve ran to the railing of the helicarrier where the boats were supposed to be lifted back in and on deck by some sort of crane. 

The dinghies made a turn and drove back to them and with every foot coming closer, the more Steve gripped the railing in anticipation, his knuckles turning white. Bucky was so close. 

Attaching the boats to the hook and lifting them up on deck felt way too slowly for Steve, he was so nervous and wanted to be by his friend’s side again so badly. 

When they finally were on board, everyone was rushing towards them. Especially nurses and doctors. He could see the three astronauts being pulled out of the dinghies and on solid ground in some kind of seats and their helmets were taken off. 

Bucky. He finally saw Bucky. Oh, thank god he was alive. He looked tired exhausted. Steve made a step forward but knew he couldn’t get to him yet. Too many people were fussing over them, taking their vitals, measuring their heartbeats. 

There were too many people speaking at the same time but Steve was sure he could hear Bucky’s voice nonetheless. His head was turning around like he was searching for something or someone. For Steve. “Is he here? Is Steve here?”

Steve wanted to get to him so badly. 

And then Bucky saw him and his face lit up like sunshine itself, spreading the widest smile he could for a second. Steve felt like he was about to cry because he felt so happy and relieved. 

“Steve!” he shouted, not breaking eye contact, and Steve answered. Hesitantly at first but louder for the second time. 

“Leave me alone”, Bucky said lower and slightly annoyed to the people around him, but Steve could still hear him and saw him brush away the nurse’s hands. “Leave me, I need to get to Steve!” He tried to stand up but his legs were too weak. He tried again and someone of the medics finally gave in and helped him to his legs with a colleague. “Steve!” he shouted again and tried to walk but was all wonky despite being steadied. 

And that was the moment Steve knew he had to run the short distance to get as fast and close to his friend to catch him falling into his arms. He ignored everyone who tried to hold him back and telling him he wasn’t allowed here yet. 

Bucky crashed into Steve’s open arms. 

When he was finally able to hold him in his arms again, it didn’t feel right because Bucky’s spacesuit was so large he only felt fabric and wires and metal and everything but his friend beneath his hands. Not the usual broad shoulders and warmth of the body he used to know.  
But they’d both leaned so far forward that they were cheek to cheek, Bucky’s head buried in the crook of Steve’s neck and that was what felt right. So he didn’t care for the suit. He just hugged him more tightly and now he definitely felt the tears on his face. 

“I’m so glad you’re back”, he sighed. “So glad!”  
He could feel Bucky’s arms tighten around his back. His suit pressing into his muscles, slightly hurting his back. But he didn’t care either. 

“I honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again”, Bucky whispered and Steve was so overwhelmed, he gently grabbed Bucky’s head on one side, steadied his body with his other arm, and pressed their lips together.

And that was what felt right. 

He held Bucky in his arms. Alive. And he surprisingly kissed him back. 

Or not so surprisingly, if Steve really thought about it. 

It was soft but strong, all the need and fear they both had felt over the last few hours. An eternity for both of them. 

Steve detached himself but stayed only inches apart from Bucky’s face. They both were completely oblivious to the world around them. 

“Promise me to never leave me alone on earth again, Buck”, Steve whispered and ran a hand through Bucky’s slightly damp and longer hair. 

“Promised”, Bucky answered and leaned in to kiss Steve again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, feedback is always welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please, please leave a comment and tell me what you think about this one because I didn't write anything for about four years and this is like a new baby for me which I'm really excited about. 
> 
> Really hope you liked it, whish to see you back for the next chapter.


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